The Lexicographer's Rules, the weblog of Grant Barrett

Friday, January 03, 2003

“Trade hypocrisy: the problem with Robert Zoellick,” by Kevin Watkins, from

“Nothing better illustrates the double standard of current US trade policy than agriculture. Consider the case of cotton. In 2001, the US Commodity Credit Corporation spent $4 billion subsidising the income of cotton producers, a fraternity comprising some 25,000 corporate farms in California, Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere. “Given that the world market value of the cotton crop was slightly over $3 billion, one might question whether the Bush administration’s farm policies owe more to the principles of Bolshevik state planning or the market principles espoused by Zoellick. But as the world’s largest cotton exporter, domestic subsidies in America have global consequences. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, they lowered world prices by around one-quarter, reinforcing the deepest and most protracted depression in world cotton markets since the Great Depression. “Skip from the subsidy fest in Texas to West Africa and you can see the results. The latter is a region where some 11 million households depend on cotton cultivation for their livelihoods, and where cotton is a crucial source of foreign exchange and government revenue. At a conservative estimate, it lost some $200 million in 2001 as a direct consequence of American farm subsidies.” (Source Link)

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“What the world’s poor watch on TV,” by Bella Thomas, from

“Some of the most interesting micro-studies take issue with the assumptions of the cultural imperialists. One such study by Elihu Katz and Tamar Liebes was about the impact of Dallas on immigrants from Morocco, Russia and elsewhere in Israel. They organised fifty focus groups with people from different national backgrounds. Even at the basic level of a discussion of what had happened in each episode, they found divergent understandings. One of the Arabic groups �misread’ the programme in a way which made it more compatible with their own cultural ethos. When Sue Ellen ran away with her baby to her former lover and his father, the Arab group argued that she had actually gone to live with her own father. This detail, the researchers argued, shows that �texts’ do not cross cultural boundaries intact. Indeed, they claimed that Dallas reinforced the audience’s own cultural values. Many viewers found comfort in their distance from the troubles at Southfork ranch.” (Source Link)

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Thursday, January 02, 2003

“Recruiters see gold in NYPD brass,” by Michael Weinstein, from the

“What he did in New York he cannot do here. Angelenos have more compassion for the disadvantaged.” (Source Link)

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A slurry pipeline car

A slurry pipeline carries insoluble particles, such as coal, suspended in water.

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It takes

It takes 78 workers, three shifts and $22,000 to clean up after New York City’s New Year’s celebration in Times Square.

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This is the personal weblog of Grant Barrett, editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary, a collection of words from the fringes of English. More about this site...

Recent Catchwords

fertigation n. (9/4)
lobbocracy n. (9/4)
quiet title n. (9/3)
plankowner n. (9/2)
zapper n. (9/2)
twiller n. (8/31)
beach nourishment n. (8/31)
Mottness n. (8/31)
hubba n. (8/31)
hole doping n. (8/29)
foot drop n. (8/29)
springboard injunction n. (8/28)
turabosis n. (8/28)
Truman Show delusion n. (8/28)
relokill n. (8/27)
toothpick rule n. (8/27)
age-doping n. (8/27)
narcisurfing n. (8/27)
chemical rapping n. (8/27)
LPU n. (8/27)

The Lexicographer's Rules